The Renacientes community bank is made up of 9 very hard-working, happy women who work hard every day to grow in their businesses and get their families ahead in life. Our members live in different parts of the city of Cuenca. This city is well known and admired by many people owing to the colonial beauty of its historic center, its nature and its people who are warm and very friendly.

Marcia S. is a member of the Renacientes community bank. She lives in Miraflores sector. This is her third loan as a member of the community bank which she likes because she has some great friends there with whom she enjoys herself.

Marcia has been working for a plastics distributor for 2 years. She works from Monday to Saturday, from 8.00am to 8.00pm. She also sells clothes. She started this business with the first loan she received through her community bank. She sells her products in her spare time and on weekends.

Marcia is 25 years old, married, and does not have any children yet. Her husband works as a cabinetmaker. They do not own their own home and so live in a rental property. Marcia will invest her new loan in buying more clothes. Her goal is to own her own home.

Sonia U. is another member of the Renacientes community bank and lives in Chilcapamba sector. She is 35 years old, married, and has 5 children aged 17, 15, 12, 8 and 7. Her eldest three children are studying in high school and her two youngest are attending elementary school in the city. Her husband works as a private employee. They do not own their own home but live in a rental property.

Sonia takes care of her housework and her children. She has also been selling cosmetics, children's outfits and books for 6 months. She sells these products all around the city. Sonia has been a member of the community bank for the past three loan cycles. She likes it because she has some very good friends with whom she gets to chat during each group meeting which takes her out of her routine. Sonia will use her loan money to buy chickens so that she can start out in the chicken business. Her dream is to own her own home.

Additional Information

This is a Group Loan

In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.

Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.